I just started on Lexapro 5 days ago. The doctor prescribed 10mg but told me to break it in half and take 5mg for the first week. She told me I could take it in the morning, but that it might make me feel tired and if it did I could just take it at night. So I actually just began by taking it at night since I didn't want to feel sleepy at work. I'm also taking Vyvanse for ADHD, but I've been taking that for years. My question is how long until I start to feel better? I'm feeling anxious and worried pretty much all the time, but I notice it gets especially bad in the afternoons and evenings. By around 2:30pm every day it gets so bad all I want to do is go home and lay in bed. My relationships are suffering and I really just want to feel normal. I'm trying to be patient and give it time to work (I know it can take up to six weeks to be fully effective). I just wanted to hear from someone who had been there and maybe could give me some advice. I know what works for some people may not work for others. Help?
How long until Lexapro starts to make me feel better?
Question posted by dc0311 on 22 Oct 2013
Last updated on 14 March 2025
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
59 Answers Page 3
I've been taking 10mgs of lexapro for 5 days ago. I know they say that it's takes time to kick in but honestly I feel normal again. I'm less cranky have way more patience for my family(children and husband). I take it in the morning which needs to stop, definitely something I need to take at night. I'm super sleepy and can barley stay awake. I can't wait to see how I feel in a few weeks!
I started taking escitalopram 10 mg at morning 10 days ago and it become so difficult for me to go to the gym. So i want to know if its ok to go to the gym while having escitalopram because i fell dizzy at the gym
Any one has the same problem?
It took a while to agree with me. My body is very sensitive to anti depressants took me about a month before I went back to the gym and I'm a very very active person.
I will try to go to the gym at 9:00 AM and take escitalopram at 11:AM maybe this will be good solution.
I started taking cipralex about 2.5 weeks ago. The first thing I noticed was significantly increased anxiety and panic attacks. This started on day one or two of taking it. Around day nine or 10, I noticed a definite improvement in my mood, and decrease in panic attacks. At this point, I have more good days than bad days, and I'm feeling much more like myself. I did ask my doctor for both sleeping pills and a benzo to use as needed… I'm not sure I could have gotten through the first couple of weeks without them! If you start taking Cipralex and notice a big increase in your anxiety, you might want to consider this as well.
In my experience, lexapro never helped me. In fact it did the opposite, I almost was more moody than I was before. It really just depends from person to person, but generally it takes a couple months for the medication to really start working. Also you have to be careful with medications like these because you may become immune to it as well and would have to switch medications anyway. Just be sure to check in with your doctor frequently and keep them updated on the things you are experiencing. Communication is vital with things like these to ensure you find a medication right for you. Hope this was helpful :)
Hi dc,
It took about 4 weeks for the Lexapro to start to kick in... I was started on 10 mg but had to reduce to 5 mg for a week before going to 10 mg because of nausea & I was taking it at night too. I did not find it was helping my anxiety during the day when I took it at night so I tried taking it in the morning (10 mg) but I was so dopey & drowsy from it there was no way I could take 10 mg in the morning. It took about 3 hrs for this drowsiness to happen but I could not function. I am now taking 5mg in the morning & 5 mg before bed. My anxiety during the day has decreased & I am not nauseated or drowsy. It has taken time to figure out what works best for me but I thought I would share my experience with you. I had to buy a little dosette med box to remind me to take the morning pill as I don't usually take pills in the morning. Hope this helps you out.
I have had my posts deleted I wrote only the truth some dont seem to want to no the truth but sooner plod on in darkness / I cancel my membership has I only tell the truth if you want to no about mental illness and meds but don't want the down side with it . don't ask the question has I say I can only tell the truth . I could have helped many on hear but if posts are deleted then I am sorry and goodbye and good luck
The administrators deleted your post on my question, I was actually looking forward to your reply.
Have been on 10mg for 7 weeks, suffered from nausea for 10 days
which actually woke me up in the night!! I have had no relief at all from chronic anxiety from Leprexo
and need to take my clonazepam
for this which my Dr.is planning on
weaning me off as she feels this drug will rid me of anxiety forever.
I can't imagine living with anxiety 24/7 as it's helped me function for the last 15 yrs. I have my mother, sister and eldest son with this disorder. I have been on antidepressants just as long for periodic depression, not major but
the last 2 weeks I find myself not wanting to get out of bed, feeling down to the point of sporadic crying
spells for no apparent reason and unlike me as my anxiety over powers other emotions without treatment. Nothing has changed in
my life expect being taken off of Paxil and put on Lexapro. Not a direct answer to your question but
if you find similarities in our experience then it could be an answer. I hope you feel relief soon or it may be time to revisit your doctor.
I was just taken off of Paxil that I was on for years and put on celexa and then changed to lexapro. I hate the way I feel. So much anxiety that the Xanax isn't even helping. Too many side effects for me.
Thank you Della for your support and help.
I found a new treatment for anxiety and depression. I started seeing a therapist and we know they are all not the same. He is using EMDR. google it. Instead of eye movements, he has me hold paddles that vibrate. When I first started I thought this sounded like voodoo. By the third session, my depression was so much better. I can't figure out how it works, but it does. My xanax usage has declined just a little. I would urge anyone suffering to look into this. Before therapy, I had meltdowns every other day. Things are just starting to look up and I have a ways to go, but I am going.
Most importantly. Do you trust your doctor? If you do, you will find the right med for you. I have had changed in meds where afternoons got pretty tough with anxiety. My doc prescribed me Ativan to take when I needed some relief.
After taking it a few times, I realized that just knowing there was relief available if I needed it, greatly reduced my anxiety enough so I didn't need to take it. Does that make sense? Good luck, you'll find the solution. There are a bunch of us who have been there and understand.
I have been on 10mg of Lexapro for 5 weeks now. The first few weeks I suffered from nausea day and night, couldn't eat or sleep well as the nausea woke me up. My doctor put me on Lexapro to eventually rid me
of my severely chronic anxiety and panic attacks, my depression is mild. I had been taking clonazepam for years to hell control my anxiety.
She told me I would still need to take antianxiety meds until the Lexapro became effective. I went online to find out about this new
"Wonder drug" and was shocked at all the side effects and worse than that people I read about and those who I spoke with were supplemented with anxiety meds including Xanax!!
I honestly don't feel any better on Lexapro and know it's the clonazepam that lets me virtually function day to day.
Medication reacts differently on people with the same symptoms
but it seems we are having the same reaction with heightened
anxiety, I feel you should see your doctor and explain how you
are reacting to the meds and be totally honest on how you are suffering
from your anxiety symptoms. I'm sure she doesn't want you to
suffer. I truly hope you find peace very soon ~Joanna Hampton
I took BRAND lexapro many years ago and could tolerate it. In October I took the generic. One more that made me sick.
I just started Lexapro and hate it. I take Xanax have been on it forms years and that isn't helping my anxiety I think do to the Lexapro. When do you start feeling better?
Bonzy, I think it's better to start on a lower dose of Lexapro than the 10 mg. and then build up to the needed doze. I started with 1/4 of the pill for 2 weeks and then increased it to 1/2 pill. I didn't have the nausea many people say they had. I did get increased anxiety at first, but it was a different type of anxiety. If you tell someone he/she will have more anxiety when first starting the Lexapro, that's a big scare. It was more of a jittery feeling at first, but that went away after a week or so. The Lexapro helped my depression within a week. It took longer to help the anxiety, but it certainly did help. I was much better after a few weeks.
I would recommend anyone with anxiety try the Lexapro but start off with a very small doze and build up to the therapeutic doze. Don't be afraid to give it a try.
DELLA, I am on my 6th day of 10mg but got so drowsy and druggy today I couldn't even lay down so I guess I also had anxiety from the feeling. Do people lower their dose after a week and would that backtrack you. I have had trouble with every SRRI and even drugs like Elavil and had bad reactions to all from extreme anxiety and jitters to not being able to wake up. I could never stay on one for more than 10 days so I gave up. My family dr. said to try lexapro again - haven't had anything but xanax for 2 years but starting to have problems again. So would halving it at this point help - just your opinion or anyone - know you guys aren't doctors... lol
I couldn't handle generic lexapro or any ssri. Xanax ix what is helping me. Again, some of the generics are fine, others are horrible. My dr switched me to name brand. It didn't take long for the anxiety to start to subside. After being sick for 5 months, it was brand xanax that helped dig me out of my hole. Once the anxiety quieted down, so did the frustration (maybe depression)!!!
Camille, I know you've been taking Lexapro 10 mg. for 6 days. I think it would be ok to cut it down since it seems to be making you feel so bad. Maybe try 1/2 or 1/4 the pill for a couple of weeks and see how you do. You haven't been on it very long. I wish you well and hope it works for you. It worked well for me. I never had to take more than 1/2 the pill, which would be 5 mg.
Joanna hi!
I had very similar experiences with Lexapro & I am also on Clonazepam 2mg at night for sleep. I did not feel the Lexapro at bedtime was helping my daytime anxiety so after trial & error I now take 5mg of Lexapro in the am & 5 mg at night. I could not tolerate 10 mg of Lexapro in the morning... after about 3 hrs I was sluggish & dopey, but the 5 mg works great in the morning. The 5 mg at night helps me to stay asleep. As I mentioned I take Clonazepam at night too. In any case this method is working for me. Good luck to you :)
Ok here we go. I started Lexapro 2 weeks ago and I suffer from depression and anxiety but anxiety is what I suffer from mostly. However, the first day i took Lexapro I noticed myself sinking into a really bad depression and my anxiety was increasing big time. By day 7 I felt the depression subside but the anxiety was still there so i started taking up to 5mg of diazepam./valium to combat it.
Today which is day 17 I didn't need to take any diazepam and am feeling that the anxiety is much more manageable. 2 weeks ago I would never have thought I would feel this good [yes I am still anxious but its contained and I feel depressed] but it is manageable and I feel positive.
I have tried around 10 different antidepressants over 20 years but I must say the first week on this was sooooooooo bad that to people who are feeling bad IT DOES GET BETTER WELL IT DID FIR ME. Stick in there and good luck!
Thank you for your feedback. So far I've been on the lexipro for the past few months and I see improvements. At the same time I don't want to be depended on it. But if it works why not.
Thanks for your feedback - it is giving me hope. I started on Lexapro 8 days ago for anxiety that resurfaced after buying/driving a new car. Go figure I have a really nice car now that is safer than my old one and I'm having really bad anxiety while driving on the LI Expressway! Anyway I started on 10mg of Lexapro last Thursday night and I woke up the next day 100 times worse than before. I struggled with taking a .25 Xanax to counteract the anxiety and finally gave in because I needed to be able to drive 60 miles to work in a few hours. Thank goodness the Xanax kicked in and by the afternoon the side effects of the 10mg subsided. I checked in with a friend who is a doctor and he recommended cutting the dose to 5mg for a week due to the side effects of anxiety. I've been doing that since last week and I do notice the anxiety that I am waking up with in the middle of the night getting better. Still the mornings seem to be the worst for me.
Honestly, I'm very apprehensive to increase the dose to 10mg because I'm afraid the anxiety is going to get worse again. Ugh, why can't they come up with a drug that does not have a side effect of anxiety? I'm just hoping like so many on this forum that all of this anxiety gets better once the drug gets in the system. Posts like yours are very reassuring :) Thanks and Happy Holidays!
Hi Oz23. I've been on Lexapro now for 4 weeks and I was experiencing bouts of anxiety the first 2-3 weeks. Then about a week ago, I started to feel better. I still experienced some moments of anxiety but they were manageable, but I still wasn't 100%. I'm about to enter my 5th week, 4th week at 20mg (I started at 10mg for the first week) and I'm still feeling some anxiety. My doc told me that it takes 4-6 weeks for the meds to saturate the brain and for you to feel the benefits. I'm hoping I start to feel the full benefits soon, as waiting and wondering is really hard. Im sure you know the feeling.
How long before you felt much better and did you ever reach a point where you felt 100% better or like your old self again? How long did that take? Thanks!
In the last when I took Lexapro i was told by the doctor that it would take about a week to start working. Key is to take it about the same time each day. If you are sporadic it won't work. Now a couple years after i stopped taking lexapro I am again having issues of panic attack, constant worrying, and different phobias so starting up again. Even though I have used it before I am now very apprehensive of taking this drug.
Everyone out there reading this... keep going and don't give up. Listen to your doctor and keep fighting the good fight. You will be fine and getting better starts by doing what you are doing now... not giving up researching and looking for the answers.
Yay!! I'm glad you feel beyye finally!! You remind me of my long struggle, after years of struggling with depression ( the worst ) and some anxiety Lexapri just started helping my depression. Glad you are feeling better. Take Care, Matt
Hey there
it took me about 8 days to start feeling better. Great medication for me. Hope it works for you.
I struggled with the lexapro - it gave me too many side effects that never went away (jitters, extreme nausea, worse anxiety) even at 5mg, where I started. I stayed there for a week even tho I felt awful. My doc actually upped it to 10mg thinking it help, but it was worse. After 3 days on 10mg I decided it wasn't for me. I've been on a few SSRIs all with bad results. If you're able to go about your day, you're doing better than I did. I took a leave of absence from work. I'm now on Remeron, which so far has been ok. Everyone is different with these meds. Hopefully you have some Xanax or something to help you through the rough patches. Good luck to you. Remember, anxiety can't hurt you - it is a just a feeling - uncomfortable, terrifying and crippling at times. But it isn't forever. I've found if I confront it, and busy myself with something else, I can get through those moments easier. This too shall pass.
Lexapro worked great for me, and believe me, I've been there. I had a complete nervous breakdown. But I was really afraid to start taking any meds. In fact, I started taking it for a few days, and then I would quit for a few days and start again because at first it made me jittery. With the help of my psychologist, I finally decided to take it two weeks straight without missing a day. I am glad I did. It helped my depression some within a week. It took longer to help my anxiety. By six weeks, it helped a lot. I used to feel so anxious and worried about every thing, every little pain I had. I was so depressed too. Lexapro helped all that. Now I feel so relaxed. Hang in there and give Lexapro a few weeks. I have to add I did pray a lot. Thank God and Lexapro I'm almost back to my old self again.
Im glad you posted this to help me have a little more faith. My doc perscribed generic lexapro 5mg and im just on my third day. Im very very anxious and depressed. Im just trying to wait for it to kick in
To Dtaylor,
I think it's great your doctor started you on a low dose of 5 mg. of Lexapro. That may be all you need. I think some people start off with too strong a dose. I started out with just 3.3 mg. because I cut 10 mg. in thirds. That gave my body time to adjust to the med. I thought I could increase it if I needed to, but that small dose seems to be working for me. I've been taking it for 10 months. My doctor knows what I'm doing. He knows I don't like to take meds. if I don't have to. Anyway, good luck to you. I hope you feel better soon.
I just got on the generic form of Lexapro a few days ago after many many years of adhering only to natural means of dealing with emotional turmoil
After many huge life changes this year - some were huge losses- I fell into a deep depression, coupled with high anxiety. As many of you know, it makes you feel like throwing yourself out the window. I'm glad I sought professional help, but I can also highly recommend EFT for anxiety, depression, and all sorts of issues. Google it. It's also an amazing tool
All the best to all of you out there who are suffering
Please tell me it gets better. I've done a week on 5 mg and wanted to quit - no appetite and jittery. But by day 7 I did sort of notice a calm in my head... The doctor wanted me to up it to 10 mg which I did last night. I vomited today I feel more jittery and anxious. The Dr. Thinks the vomiting is from my anxiety which is still not controlled. Is this normal? Anyone have the same side effects?
How much of lexapro did you start with? And did you increase the dose?
I find most comments scary and disturbing. Yours is the first encouraging one. Funny with Anxiety - we don't want to feel that way, and want to get better- but the thought of a PILL and the Entrapment of a medication is scary! Especially when you read the paper that comes with your prescription. I look to find comments like this to help me go to pill #4, as I too, #3 last night. Only 5mg - but I'm so loopy tired right now - no improvement really, but you helped me. Thank you.
I started Lexapro 10mg three days ago. For
Anxiety. I take it in the morning and within a few hours feel very jittery and even more anxious. I wonder if I should cut the pills in half and start with 5mg. I was already anxious to start and now it seems worse. Reading some of these comments is helpful to me. Any advice is appreciated.
To Jenkowitz: I think I would cut the pill in half and take that amount for a few weeks, so your body can adjust to the medicine. That amount was enough for me. It made me jittery at first too, but that went away. I never had to increase it, but it took a few weeks to really make me feel better. I hardly have any anxiety now. I take it at night because it makes me drowsy.
Sylvia89, I started with 1/4 of the pill, which was 2.5 mg. That allowed my body to adjust. I took that amount for a few weeks. I never increased it to more than 1/2 pill, which was 5 mg. That was all I needed. That helped my depression and anxiety. I was in a really bad condition. I couldn't drive or go anywhere by myself or stay at home alone. I think I must be really sensitive to medicine. The Lexapro helped me so much. It helped with depression within a week and with the anxiety in just s few weeks.
Hello Della10. I am on my 4th week using Lexapro, 3 weeks at 20mg and I've seen marked improvement in my anxiety but I still feel anxious at times during the day, but it's tolerable with deep breathing and relaxation. I used to be on Celexa for the longest time but weened off and switched to Lexapro as my doc said it's the new and improved Celexa. How are you doing now? And are you still on Lexapro and has it helped you completely? Thanks.
Hello geloman1. Yes, the Lexapro--and I have to say with God's help--has brought me back to almost completely well. I know when I was at my worst, I constantly read blogs. I too wanted to find someone to say he or she was completely normal again. I have been taking Lexapro for about a year. I am tapering off it gradually because I don't want to have withdrawal effects and I think I may be able to quit taking it.. I am taking only 2.5 mg. and am having no problems tapering. Don't worry about the tapering off right now though. Just think about getting better and taking the med you need to feel better. I am doing great now. I don't know your situation. I did not have life-long anxiety and depression problems. Mine was a huge nervous breakdown which I have come back from. Just take the meds you need and you will get better.
I'm on lexapro for 3 days and can't take the symptoms. I guess I have to wait it out and I'm on Xanax. I don't like the feeling and I'm more anxious
lexapro did not work for me. As for the LFT (tapping), mentioned above, I've tried it but not on a continuous basis. May revisit that!
Hi Della10, you seem to have the answers that help me, lol. After the first week of taking 10 and feeling horrible, I did cut in half and then switched to taking at night cause I was so sleepy in the late afternoon. Now, however, I can't get up in the morning unless I have to (I keep my 5yr old twin granddaughters some days) I stay in bed till noon or later - just can't pull myself up. After first week on 1/2, I was going to take full pill but scared to since I have the tired thing and still get anxious in afternoons having to take .5 xanax. Don't see my dr. till 3-17 but feel I'm caught not really improving on the 1/2 but scared to bump it up. What do you think?
Hello Camille, Good to hear from you. It took 4-6 weeks for Lexapro to really help me a lot with my anxiety. I never took more than 1/2 a pill, which was 5 mg. As the months went by, I kept getting better and better. We are all different, but have you only taken it for two weeks? I know the feeling about not being able to get up early in the mornings. I took my Lexapro right before going to bed and would stay in bed until 11:00. You might want to try taking it earlier in the evening--if you have to get up early. You also might want to give it a few more weeks for it to help your anxiety. I also take care of my 8-month old granddaughter. I could not take care of a baby when I first started Lexapro. I couldn't even drive a car for awhile because I had had a nervous breakdown. Before that, I was always independent and drove even to other states and taught at college. I had severe depression and anxiety. That was before my granddaughter was born.
I was trying to get well because I knew she was coming. I guess I have gotten used to the Lexapro because I don't need to sleep so much anymore. I don't have depression and anxiety now. Lexapro and God helped me. I wish you well and hope the Lexapro works well for you.
Jasper, How are you doing? I see you started taking Lexapro last November. Is it working well for you? Hope yo are doing better.
Hello Della10, how are you? I pray to God you're doing well. I have been suffering from OCD, depression and anxiety for a while now. Not a life long thing. Before I had this, I was a very active guy. People actually dependent on me for a lot of things. All glory be to God for that. Whatever energy and knowledge that I had, do have and will have is because of Him. However, now my abilities are very limited. It took me a while to see a psychiatrist. I was very afraid of taking meds. My abilities started to lessen. I can't drive a car now. And before I would love driving. I would love driving as a means of travel. My job was driving. Over 200 miles a day. I had to quit my job because I developed anxiety.
Anyways, my story is long and I don't want to trouble you with it. I have now gone to a psychiatrist. He has prescribed me Gabapentin and Escitalopram which is basically Lexapro. I take a half a pill a day. I take it in the morning. So I take 5 MG. You said it takes a while to work correct? I pray to God that it works out for me and helps me to get me back to the person I was before. Very active. Especially in the Church. Please do keep me in your prayers. I really need them. I am glad I found this post. I am glad that Lexapro is working for you and you are tapering off it little by little. God willing you won't need any medication anymore in your life. You will be in my prayers as well. I pray to hear from you soon. God bless.
Hello dowdow,
Your case sounds similar to mine. I haven't had lifelong anxiety and depression. Mine developed suddenly. I, like you, was very independent. I was an instructor at college. I drove anywhere I wanted to go and went on car trips and plane trips by myself. I too took care of everyone else. I guess I overdid it. Had breakdown. Couldn't work, drive, or take care of my grandchildren. Could barely take care of myself. Thank God I had a wonderful husband who took care of me. I had major anxiety and depression and agoraphobia. I could not stand to even have the shower curtain closed.
How long have you had your anxiety and depression? How long have you been on Lexapro? With God's help, the Lexapro helped me so much. I took Klonopin for five months and tapered off that. My depression was so bad I wanted to die. I was so afraid to take the Lexapro. It sat on my shelf for months before I finally, with the help of a psychologist, started taking it. It helped me so much within a few weeks and even more as the months went by.
I took Lexapro for about a year and slowly tapered off. I haven't taken any for two weeks and I am fine without it. Sometimes after getting out by myself and driving for some miles, and helping take care of others, I suddenly realize I'm doing the things I used to do without even thinking about it.
I am so thankful to God that he brought me back to normal. Just trust Him, as I believe you do from your writing--and he also gives us medicine--and I believe you too will get well. I wish you well.
Dowdow,
Just wanted to add I took my Lexapro, 5 mg,, at night because it made me sleepy. About 20 minutes after taking it, I would get this anxious feeling for a few short minutes. Then that feeling went away and I could relax and go to sleep. I would put Christian music on. That always helped me sleep too. I have never really had problems sleeping though, until I developed that anxiety. I am feeling well now. I will be praying for you.
Hello Della,
Thanks for your quick and kind response. I really appreciate it. I see you're very similar to me. And God willing you will get better and better.
I broke down around 2006/2007. I left a good job for another one and the other job didn't turn out to be good and I couldn't go back to my old job, so I broke down with depression. No anxiety or anything like that. Just depression. However, that got better over time. No medications. It lasted for a while. But it went away with the help of the Lord. Then it came back hard 2012. Actually, it came with anxiety this time. And then ever since then and now (to make a long story short) my symptoms subsided and got worse and now they're worse. I developed the OCD.
I can't work now. I can't go to school. I can't go out. I can't hang with my friends. I can only go specific places and even with that, it is very difficult. Being around the house is hard for me sometimes. I don't find comfort in my own house. It's very difficult. It feels like that even with medication I won't get better. That's what it feels like.
Oh and by the way, I went to a psychiatrist in 2012. He prescribed me medication, but I did not take it. I refused to take it. I feared this type of medication. So I went by a psychiatrist around two weeks ago. He prescribed me Gabapentin. I have been taking Gabapentin for almost two weeks. I started taking 1 100mg pill three times a day and then increased (per doctors prescriptions) to 2 100 mg pill three times a day. After that 3 100 mg three times a day. I went up to 4, but I started to get a headache. Now, I don't know if it was from the Gabapentin. It could be because I don't drink enough water. Due to my OCD, I don't drink enough water. I want to minimize my trips to the bathroom so I don't wash my hands so often. I know it's bad, but God willing, I can get some relief from these medications and go back to normal and doing healthy lifestyle things.
So when I developed a headache, I contacted the doctor and I told him what is going on and he told me to go back down to 2 100 mg pills. Now I am back up to 3 100 mg pills three times a day. We will give it another shot at increasing to see if it will cause me a headache.
It's almost going to be a week of me being on Lexapro. It's still under a week. The doctor told me that if I don't see any improvements within a week, then I should move to a full 10 mg pill. Because right now I take half a pill (5 mg). Although, I think, maybe, 5 mg could be enough for me. But wouldn't I have to give it more than a week to see any improvements? Like I said, maybe 5 mg could be enough? Just maybe need to give it more time. I wouldn't want to take more than I need to.
God bless!
Hello dowdow, I'm very sorry to hear you're having a hard time. I don't think you have been on the Lexapro long enough to really help much with anxiety. Has it helped with depression? I think it takes a shorter time to help with depression. It helped my depression within a week. It took about 4 weeks for it to help much with anxiety. My anxiety gradually got better. I have to say Lexapro did give me headaches. They weren't really bad headaches, only mild ones and they didn't last all day. I didn't have to take Tylenol because they weren't that bad.
I haven't had OCD, but I did have agoraphobia and felt like I was in a fog. I could not go anywhere alone or stay at home alone. I couldn't go home for three months. I stayed at my mother's house for three months. My husband stayed there with me. I couldn't even have the TV on. It took months before I started having any interest at all in TV.
When I did go to the stores, I had to have my husband or daughter right by my side. They could not even go in another aisle. I could not stay in a restaurant at first. Then when I finally started to go to restaurants, I had to sit near the door so I could out quickly.
Remember, all this happened before I started taking Lexapro. Looking back, I can't believe I was that bad. Lexapro helped me so much, and I would recommend it. The minor side effects I had were nothing compared to the anxiety and depression I felt before I began taking it.
I must say my healing came because of God's help. I prayed all the time, and He brought me out of my misery. I feel really good now. I broke down in January 2014. I went almost a year before I started taking Lexapro. I was so glad I gave it a chance. I pray for your healing. Do you have someone to be by your side and support you? I hope you do. That is so important, but it's really hard for people to understand the situation though. May God be with you and heal you. Keep trusting in Him.
I am very sorry for what you went through. I am very glad that you feel really good now. I pray you're always feeling good. I pray for your family as well and all who surround you. I in fact do have people to support me. I have my lovely family, the Church hierarchy (as they have helped me with their prayers), and many others. I am truly blessed for that and I thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Today is one week of taking Lexapro 5 MG (half a pill). However, my doctor told me to go up to a full pill (10 MG) if I don't see any difference. I was thinking that maybe 5 MG is enough for me and I need to give it more time. So I guess tomorrow according to his prescription, I will move up to 10 MG and if I get really well, then maybe tapper down to 5 MG and see how I feel. I will speak with the doctor about that when I see him next time.
Also, I am on Gabapentin. I take 900 MG of that. Throughout the day that is. 300 MG every three hours. That is supposed to help my situation as well. The doctor started me first on the Gabapentin for my issues. He said that this medication can help calm me down. He basically drew a mental picture for me and told me that your beehive is very hyperactive. A lot of rocks are being thrown at the beehive and all these bees are coming out. Another way he put it, is like my brain is throwing a lot of pop up windows at me. Making me think of a lot of unnecessary things. So he said the Gabapentin helps with that. In conjunction with the Lexapro. As he added that a week later after taking the Gabapentin.
He believes I was born with this problem. Although, I never happened to have such events in my life. As a kid, I had a normal childhood. Played with kids, touched dirty things, played in the dirt, fell off my bike, got into trouble, drank water from a hose, etc. He said that I needed to grow up and experience real stressful events for the "beehive" to be activated. It was there, but not activated... yet. Which may be true.
Sometimes I feel like maybe this medication can make me worse. The thoughts in my mind are like,
1. What if this medication makes me worse?
2. What if I take this medication and I get better, but all of a sudden I relapse at a wrong time and/or place?
3. What if I waited too long and I caused too much mental damage?
Such and other thoughts come in my mind. However, I am still continuing my medication. But I do have more high hopes of getting better. I want to go back to my old self again and even better and be more active. Especially in the Church. Get a job and start working. Travel and so on. And I will definitely trust in Him.
God bless.
Hello dowdow,
I wish I could help you more, but I don't know much about Gabapentin. I only know the doctors are starting to use it for OCD. I do know Lexapro helped me a lot and fairly quickly. I hope you get well soon.
Hi hoping someone can help. I have been on and off lexapro for years for depression, anxiety and bipolar. I was recently taking lithium as well as 30mg lexapro at night. For past 3 weeks just 30mg lexapro. My problem is extreme tiredness!!! I have been talking in my sleep every night for sometimes Upto 3 hours. 2-3 hrs of waking in the morning I am ready to go back to sleep.
I have never been on 30mg before and I'm feeling just as bad as when I was on nothing. Chemist just told me to try taking it in the morning. Any suggestions??
I just read your comment and noticed you said you were on lithium, I am no dr or health care professional but from family experience a family member of mine was on that for 20+ years and has recently been weened off it as that drug is so old it contains a same chemical as what is in a battery not good at all! I take lexapro and found it has helped a lot with my anxiety, it took 5-6 weeks to fully kick in and started taking it at night as myself as well felt it made me extremely tired all the time. The first 3 weeks of lexapro I had a lot of the symptoms aka the runs, dry mouth, weird dreams but they slowly faded as it kicked in and helped my anxiety!
Hope this is useful!
How are you taking 30 when the highest dose is 20
Hi there I was told by a doctor that those diagnosed with ADHD can also suffer from Anxiety, OCD, and or depression. One of my children have been diagnosed with ADHD and also suffers from anxiety so I'm just speaking from experience.
Related topics
lexapro, depression, anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, doctor, prescription
Further information
- Lexapro uses and safety info
- Lexapro prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Lexapro (detailed)
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